>> that's what's making news in america this morning. >> stay tuned for "good morning . you're watching the station that works for you "good morning maryland" at 4:30. it is the 4th of july weekend. a huge weekend for crabs and i am linda so. what you will be paying for a bushel and why the price of beer is going up. i know he is proud of his son, proud of his team and proud of the accomplishments the team made. >> the soccer team try to overcome tragedy after their coach died. and starting today, there will be changes at a state transit system. we will give you details on

that. it's first day of july and it's friday, happy friday. i am megan pringle. >> i am charley crowsonch let's get to it because a lot of you want to know how the three-day week send going to work out weather wise. let's say good morning to justin. >> and the price of fun is going up. you heard linda talk about it. crabs and beer and some other stuff. but this is free. so here's the reasons why i want you to stick around. we have a lot of stuff to talk about. today, just nice. how nice? and how warm? we will talk about that. the holiday weekend in the 90s returns. how deep into the 90s we will get. how about the beach weather and the 4th of july. that's coming your way in moment. maryland's most powerful doppler radar right now. we have five sweeps across the chesapeake and nothing a -- sweeps across the chesapeake and nothing to show. let's see what's happening on the roads with tonya. >> reporter: we are starting out with a great friday on the roads. traffic wise we are doing fine. no accidents to report in baltimore city or baltimore county. look out there to see what's going on, 50 at i-97, no

problems to report 97 north bound from crofton up to baltimore. that's the westbound traffic coming towards the screen and the camera. no problems. nothing in your way. fort mchenry tunnel, roadwork in the two left lanes of the tunnel. probability until 5 a.m. 395 northbound still has the left lane closed. megan. >> thanks. 4:32 right now. it's a big weekend to go out and have fun and obviously eat a lot of good food. a lot of us like crabs and it's going to be the 4th of july of course. and so with the crabs also comes the beer. abc2 news linda so is live this morning to tell us why we will pay more for drinks starting today. right, linda? >> reporter: yeah, well, the sales tax for alcohol is taking effect today. it's a 3% increase and it means three cents on the dollar. the good news is some places are not going to be passing on that tax to its customers like here at conrad in parkville.

we have an early visitor. it's going to be a huge weekend for crabs. but first the alcohol tax. you were saying it's 3% increase but you won't be passing it on. >> most likely. aid small business and it's not a good idea to pass too much on the customers. so 3% will set the limit and doesn't adversely affect the sales. >> reporter: this weekend big 4th of july weekend. >> customers are safe. >> reporter: let's talk about the crabs. how are the prices this year. >> prices are-- year? >> prices are down. they have been falling steadily. availability has been up compared to last summer and we are looking at the trend to continue in the chesapeake bay area for the rest of the year. >> reporter: take us through the process. it's going to be huge weekend. you will be working hard. what is the first thing to do with the crabs? >> we size them. i have a bushel of small and mediums and we sorted them out and made sure they are about the right size point to point for customers. we want people to get what they are paying for and once they

are alive and we take them out and we will be shocking them. >> reporter: shocking them? what does that mean? >> we set them here and once they sink to the bottom, this lid will come down and we willsend electric currents through the water to knock them out and they will be unconscious and keep them from dropping the claws once the steam hits they. that's a self-defense mechanism. >> reporter: wonderful. thanks so much. we will continue this process all morning. we have got to save the best part for a little later. join us back here at five and we will have a lot more information about the crab supply and alcohol tax. linda so, abc2 news. >> thanks. maryland's new law allows you to have wine shipped to your home and the state comptroller will secure a place in history by becoming the first person to legally purchase wine and haveit

shipped to his home. he will make a purchase promoting the haw that goes --law that goes. >> he effect today. we will see how much the payon from exxon to baltimore county families will be after a massive leak contaminated their underground water. it leaked 26,000 gallons of gas in 2006. the settlement could become the largest in u.s. history. willer this week, the families were awarded -- earlier this week, the families award is -- $195 million. well in annapolis, teresa goldsmith will be worn in as the new insurance commissioner. goldsmith was the first appointed by governor o'malley to the public service commission two years ago. o'malley will swear in robert young to are the maryland director of assets and taxation. you have seen them

abandoned homes. and mayor rawlings-blake hopes to change that. starting today the vacants to valley booster program will offer $10,000 in a down payment as closing costs. the assistance to the first 50 buyers. that comes in at a total of about 500,000 in the sis -- in assistance. for those of you using public transportation, this could affect you. changes have been made. the economic downturn forced almost every organization in the u.s. to take a hit. and now it's central maryland regional transit corporations turn. the f route is no more. free transfers has been eliminated and so has the monthly pass. there's a reduction in the base fare from $2 to $2.50. all changes again taking effect today. well, smoke is cleared but now fire investigators want to know what started a downtown fire last night. things got hot and heavy around dinner time and the garage fire near the 1,000 block of west

lombard on pratt. firefighters say there were problems early because hydrants were not working properly. but the fire department imagined to get the fire under control and they got traffic moving around the area by 7:00. police are look for two men who officers say attacked and robbed another mannerliy yesterday morning. a little after -- man early yesterday morning. the man refused to give the crooks his money and they started to attack him. they grabbed his wallet and took off. the victim is expected to be okay. a funeral service will begin in a few hours for a 15- year-old boy who was accidently shot to death in south baltimore. police say an 11-year-old boy accidently was playing with a gun when it went off in cherry hill last weekend. the bullet hit michael brooks. we are told the gun was kept in a locked room but the 11-year- old found the keych the funeral service will be held at 10 this morning at christ united methodist church on florida avenue in baltimore. heart warming story for you

-- a heart warming story for you this morning. >> a unique way a man is standing up for a great cause. plus, most of us will never speak to the president let alone insult him. why one political analyst is not headed back to work this morning. you are watching, "good morning maryland" first and only at 4:30 in the morning.

now "good morning maryland" at 4:30. 20 minutes away from five. it's certainly been quite an ordeal for those along the mississippi river after the massive floods that devastated homes and towns. but one young man has decided to help and it's all in the name of charity and maybe 15 minutes of fame. meet 21-year-old alex. he is paddle boating down the mississippi river. look at him. his journey is 2400 miles long. he is trying to break the record for the most miles traveled on a standup paddle board. and he is raising money while

doing this for the red cross and to help victims from flooding. >> in minnesota, all the flooding up north and it happens down near my house. >> he says it is fesscally and mentally tough to keep ongoing. but he is set on breaking records and raising money no matter what. >> unbelievable. a great fund-raiser. that's going to be exhausting. >> does he sit down and rest? >> he has to. >> i hope so. >> i wanted to tell you earlier on. someone sent me a story that happened about a week ago many ellicott city a dog broke out and ran a marathon. you know the story. we have to get that on here. there's video of the dog crossing the finish line and raised 13,000 dollars for charity. a local dog. anything for money. >> weather wise maybe a little too hot? >> yes this morning get out for an early run. some of you are up early. and the back of my feet people get up early and check out the

weather. 58 in cockeysville. 68 in sparrows pointch in the city we have -- point. in the city, we have milder temperatures. 55 in annapolis and 50s in laurel and westminster. looking to the west a. cluster of clouds and a complex of storms. we may get high clouds thrown in, but a nice day as we aim for a day warmer than yesterday. the high is going to be 89. the weekend weather coming up in moment. but tonya has a check on traffic. >> reporter: no major incidents on the highway. let's look at the beltway on the southwest side. 695 at wilkins, traffic is building in both directions. a little heavier on the outer loop to the left with the oncoming traffic. no problem on the inner loop to the right. we are dealing with construction in the fort mchenry tunnel. roadwork in the two left lanes. 359 northbound, the ramp to mlkboulevard, the left lane is closed. police activity 1,000 block of madison avenue. look for flashing lights. >> 4:42 right now.

if you are looking for something fun to do, the dundalk heritage fair opened which looks to give families a fun filled 4th of july weekend. there are countless entertainment acts including eddie money and trinidad and steel band that will perform. there's also going to be events for kids of all ages and grand prix car display, karaoke and i am in. the fair is open at noon until10 p.m. at night and runs until sunday. >> all right. news time is 4:43. it was never a question of if the nba was going into a shutdown, it was more of question of win. >> owners and players can't agree on much. now the league is in a lockout and we will tell you what problems they could face and how long it will last. a monster fire in historic downtown charston. -- charleston. we will show you how much was lost. you are watching "good morning maryland" first and only at 4:30.

4:45. a scary story out of new york war former umer youth counselor has been indicted on sexual misconduct charges. s accused raping an 11-year-old girl. he was 17. the girl has had a baby boy as a result of that interaction and allegedly contracted an std. the girl's family says the ymca never called police when they found out about the rape or never told her family. he could face up to two years in prison if convicted. a d.c. councilman's college days are coming back to haunt him. he has to respond to a allegation didn't pay more than $15,000 in student loans and interest. a judge set today as the final day to answer in the case. this is not his only legal matter. he is facing right now separate charges on misusing $300,000 of city money. an update to a story we brought you earlier this week. women are speaking out after

the fda revoked the approval of avastin. betsy has been living with breast cancer since 2005 and last year, she found out it spread to her body. her doctor prescribed her another drug along with avastin and she says she's had side effects but nothing severe enough to stop using it. >> i think that should be left up to the patient's choice. if someone is willing to take the risk to save their life and it's been approved before, it's kind of like denying a person an opportunity to live in some cases. >> the fda says there are many side effects and the drug will still be able to be prescribed but only -- probably not covered under insurance. coming up live, from the mdot camera, if you are leaving from the bay bridge, you will avoid traffic. maryland transportation authority says leek before 10 a.m. is a good idea. after watching us, head out on the road. saturday they say they are

leaving early before 7 a.m. or after 5 p.m. and on sunday before 11 a.m. and then you can leave after 10 p.m. if you are look for entertainment elsewhere -- looking for entertainment elsewhere, st. mary's college is holding the naval aviation is the theme for the concert which includes some fireworks. the weekly concerts continue through july 29th. 4:48. the government is warning this morning to be aware of the legal fire -- illegal fireworks. federal leaders sampled impoured fireworks and found issues with half of them. federal officials say fireworks left more than 6,000 people with injuries during the 4th of july holiday last year. thousands will jam downtown baltimore on monday evening for that huge fireworks show we have every year. it's going to take place at the inner harbor. activities will begin at noon. the fireworks display starts at 9:30 at night. some people will be watching from their roof top decks. all that -- all that information is available at

your fingertips. it's a click away head to abc2news.com and scroll down on to the right-hand side of the i'm and look at spotlight -- page and look at the spotlight section to learn more. a soccer team is helping to keep a maryland's state trooper's memory alive e lost control of his cruiser while chasing a speeding motorcylist along i-95. the former marine followed a soccer team out ofan arunel county and they are facing a bush-- out of anne arundel county and they are facing a big challenge this morning. sherrie johnson is here with the story about motivation and perseverance. >> reporter: well, they are known as the blackhawks. shaft hunter's son plays on the team and he often sponsored this. this team was awarded the u.s. club soccer region one championsch it was devastating to lose hunter, through determination and perseverance, they made it to a national

competition and for six years the group of boys worked towards a goal of getting the opportunity to compete at the national level. now, they have it. the only issue is they must raise about 30,000 dollars to attend that competition. and they need your help to get there. >> not everybody makes it this far, and this team behind me has worked so hard, unbelievably hard, and to give them the opportunity to go against the best teams in the united states would be a milestone for the blackhawks. i am sure other teams would want this and we are asking that they get the due respect they deserve to go out and show that they can prove to be one of the best in the united states. >> we are dedicated. we work hard. we've had hopes and dreams about coming, like going up to this level. >> reporter: if you want to sponsor the team, contact two local organizers,

443-857-3706 or 410-371-5191. and that national competition will be held in idaho. sherrie johnson, abc2 news. now maryland's most powerful doppler radar and the forecast certified most accurate by weatherrate. >> a lot of sunshine to be expected and this is no surprise but a reminder if this is your first opportunity to get out there, maybe you taking an extended weekend on the beginning that you should put on the sunscreen and hat and shades because you can burn in a short period of time, especially for those working up until this day and this is your first chance to really soak up the summer. getting out to the beach, we have been making adjustments, and it's a matter of a few little impulses that will be riding around this little heat bubble that we are going to get into. it looks like a chance of showers will try to develop at ocean city. it could be rolling in sunday evening lasting through monday morning. overall, the day -- all three

days look pretty good. upper 80s to the low 90s. 50 tion north -- 50s northwest. and heat is building back. st. louis is at 80, 38 in des moines iowa. heat is building and in between cluster of showers and storms dive north to south. and we may get some high clouds with the weather pattern shifting off to the east. that's it. we are in dry weather pattern. nice weather continues for today. and check out our future radar. not much going on. a little disturbance tries to slide through overnight saturday and into sunday morning to bring us a little burst of showers. otherwise, we are looking for today a. mostly sunny sky and 89. comfortable just warm. humidity still in check and that allows temperatures tonight to dip back to about 60, mid-60s in the city by the bay and maybe 50th north and west and tomorrow here comes the 90s and a little humidity and maybe a evening or overnight thundershower. the next of the holiday forecast in the next half-hour. here tonya with a traffic.

>> reporter: no problems to report on 895 at the harbor tunnel. let's look at the beltway. traveling on the outer loop, there are no problems on liberty road all the way down to wilkins avenue. as you can see, we have some traffic building on the outer loop to the left of the screen. dealing with construction and police activity. 1,000 block of madison avenue, look out for flashing lights. be careful there. fort mchenry tunnel has roadwork in the two left lanes. 395 beltway -- has construction there. if i've been out to parts of arizona this time of year you know it can be miserable. >> absolutely. hot in the summertime there. it's a dry heat. you can imagine how people felt when this trance former blew. -- transformer blew. how officials are working to keep people cool. an end of an era for the shuttle program. the future of spatial exploration -- space exploration. you are watching "good morning maryland first and only at

4:30. the lights are coming on at the white house at our nation's capital.

now "good morning maryland" at 4:30. welcome back on this friday morning. space shuttle atlantis will lift off a week from today for the international space station on a 12-day mission. it will be the final shuttle flight ever. the orbiter will carry 8,000 pound of food, clothes and critical spare parts that will support operation at the space station through the end of 2012. following the program being grounded, nasa plans to temporarily use russian spacecraft to take our astronauts back up to the space station. people in minnesota will wake up to a state government shutdown. lawmakers bickered so much they couldn't get to a more than 3 1/2 million dollar budget in place. at issue is whether to address

the shortfall by cutting spending or increasing taxes. republicans staged a sit-in last night to get the state's governor to speak with them. however, he refused until a budget is reached. essential services will be operating this morning only. something that makes good tv. video of a big fire. this is a transformer fire near phoenix. 30,000 people still in the dark this morning. but when the whole thing broke about 80,000 people were without power in that hot afternoon sun out in arizona. investigators blame the 100 plus degree temperatures on the incident. a cooler center has been set up for those who lost power. >> look at this. flames gutted three buildings in downtown charleston, south carolina. witnesses spotted flames on the porch of a home that happened early yesterday morning. that fire spread to two other buildings and a number of cars as well as motorcycle. the fire spread burning three buildings 7 cars, one motorcycle. no one was hurt but investigators say there's a serial arsonist in the area and

may be to blame. now "good morning maryland." exxon has to pay. that's the verdict handed down in the jury in jacksonville. how do the homeowners collect? they needed 55,000 votes and this morning the dream act goes to referendum. what that means for children of undocumented immigrants who want to attend college in maryland. >> reporter: it's all about crabs this 4th of july weekend. you will want to get your mallets ready. why you will probably pay more for your beer but not for your crabs. >> all right. those stories are just ahead. it's the first day of july and happy friday. i am megan pringle. >> it's a happy friday. many people getting ready for a three-day weekend. >> nice. good morning, i am charley crowson. let's get to the weekend forecast. it's going to be an extended one for a little longer weather. let's say good morning to justin. >> good morning to you. and by the way i. got july sun

fun facts. you excited for that? >> yes. >> good. fact number one. back on june 21st we hit the solstice the longest day of the year, but we haven't notice any difference in the sunset time. it's 8:37. you will by the 4th of july. but we still have the same sunset time as a week and a half ago. wasn't that fun? >> thank you. >> i got more. it gets better. 86 yesterday. high temperature and it felt good. we are down to 64 officially at bwi. but we have 54 at york, p.a. and 50s outside the beltway. we will show outneighborhood temperatures coming up. clear skies-- you the neighborhood temperatures coming up. clear skies and we are looking at a day that will be nice this morning. i am jealous that those wake up and go for a early jog. because 50s and 60s is absolutely perfect. sun comes up in about 44 minutes. then we are looking for a high of 89 degrees our two degree guarantee will push the 90s and talk about it